I AM ON SAN JUAN ISLAND, the land of the seashore juniper. This is an absolutely huge specimen growing at my daughter's summer home. I have made just one uke using juniper for the sound board, but it is the best sounding uke that I have made. Look closely at the cut off stub where this tree branches. Someone had cut off that branch leaving a 20 inch stub. I pruned it back and salvaged a 15 inch piece which I will use for future instruments. I counted 391 growth rings on that branch. That takes this tree back to when the first colonists arrived at Jamestown. Perhaps the trunk would indicate that the tree is even older. These are rather rare trees that grow only in the Salish Sea area of the Pacific Northwest and I am beginning to think that it's wood is one of the worlds best tonewoods.
Here is the whole tree growing 100 feet from the seashore among douglas firs and madronas. This tree is much larger than normal, most of them grow at the very edge of the sea coast on dry rocky ledges in poor soil.
Here is a shot of the foliage and the little berries that they produce.
I am so thrilled with the sound of the uke I made with the wood of this unique tree that I am going to try to find someone on these islands who had a stash of this wood. I would never cut one down, they are that rare, but I would just love to find more of this wonderful fragrant and sweet sounding wood stacked up in some wood nut's garage.
I am so thrilled with the sound of the uke I made with the wood of this unique tree that I am going to try to find someone on these islands who had a stash of this wood. I would never cut one down, they are that rare, but I would just love to find more of this wonderful fragrant and sweet sounding wood stacked up in some wood nut's garage.
